California’s secretary of state Alex Padilla has announced that the state will drop its appeal to a court ruling that will allow 60,000 to 73,000 felons to vote while under probation, reports Reuters.
Now, former prisoners who have been moved from overcrowded prisons to the watch of the state probation department will be allowed to vote.
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Padilla, a Democrat, says:
“If we are serious about slowing the revolving door at our jails and prisons, and serious about reducing recidivism, we need to engage – not shun – former offenders […] Voting is a key part of that engagement.”
Reuters report states:
“Padilla’s announcement brings to an end a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union arguing that the state was illegally denying felons released under Democratic Governor Jerry Brown’s prison realignment program the right to vote.
California law says convicted felons may vote once they have completed their sentences and paroles. The felons affected by the lawsuit had been released without parole, but because they remained under supervision of county probation departments, the state had initially said they could not vote.”
Criminal Defence Lawyers in Thailand Chaninat and Leeds are experts in handling criminal law cases, with both Thai nationals and foreigners.
Depending on state, some former prisoners may have their right to vote reinstated after their release from jail, while some will have to wait until their parole term ends. In Vermont and Maine, prisoners are allowed to vote even when behind bars.
View the full story here.
To learn about criminal law in Thailand, you may be interested in this video:
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